Thursday, August 21, 2008

[ts]When we made sesame seed buns, we had to think of a way to use them up. We thought to use char siew (tsa shyo in Fukien/Hokkien) -- that is, HK BBQ Pork -- as the filling.

Now, that got my brain working: what accompaniments should go with a char siew sandwich?! I thought of the different applications for char siew. Well, actually, besides eating them as is with rice (of course), the only dish I could easily think of that uses char siew, besides Yang Chow Fried Rice, is Singapore Noodles.

I decided to make, and name this dish, Char Siew Sandwiches à la "Singapore Noodles"! ;)

[ts]The name is perhaps a little deceptive as there are no noodles in the sandwich. I simply stir-fried some Singapore Noodle-esque ingredients with Singapore Noodle-esque flavors.

I started with garlic and ginger, then added sliced onions and red bell peppers. To season, I added curry powder (of course), soy sauce, shao xing wine and a little sugar and sesame oil. The egg went in next, then I finished with green onions, bean sprouts and cilantro.

To make the sandwich extra tasty, I "toasted" the buns in a little butter. =) I used the same pan; those buns might as well pick up more of the stir-fry flavors.

To assemble: a layer of char siew on the bottom and a mound of the stir-fry on top.

Oh, in all the Singapore Noodle excitement, I failed to mention that we bought, not made, the char siew.

The day I wanted to make the sandwich, JS went to two char siew places but they were both closed! Coming home, she tried to convince me to change my sandwich concept. I refused! I fought for my idea! =) We had to postpone making the sandwich until the next day.

This was so good! The char siew went perfectly with its Singapore Noodle-esque accompaniment! (Well, of course it would! The two components already go well together in their Singapore Noodles incarnation.) As for the sesame seed bun, it was buttery and slightly sweet, making it the perfect vehicle for my sandwich.

Oh goodness, that is lethal. I just had a sad burger yesterday. I want me some buttery Singaporean barbecued pork sandwiched now. Would the Singaporean noodles be, er, hokien mee? Sorry, I'm not too well-versed in these dishes yet!

Hey! I've been making cha siu sandwiches since I was a little girl! However, I never thought to put a Singapore twist to it! Way to go! I just put slices of cha siu between any bread slathered with mayo! It's sooooo good! BBQ duck is good like this too! but I usually add green onions and hoisin sauce to it as well...mmmm